My Only Hope
by TurkFish
Summary: Molly was your average, preppy, just-out-of-high-school city girl. When she moves to Castanet with her older brother, she begins to make new friends, help with the farm work, and volunteer for mundane jobs other people can't do. But one thing she didn't expect was to fall in love. Especially with some strange man, an alleged fortune teller. But then, who can't love bring together?
1. New Faces

**I do not in any way shape or form claim rights to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade or its characters, or story elements! All of that is owned by Natsume and Nintendo! All I own is this story/plot! **

**So please do enjoy! 3 **

**Also, apologies if the format looks messy. It looks a LOT better in microsoft word, I don't know how to use formatting on this website, hah.**

**Edit: Also! A very nice person on deviantART has given me permission to use her work as my cover image! Her art is astounding, so go check out plainred on deviantart!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**New Faces**

"Oh goddess, I'm so sorry!" A young girl shouted, staring at an older boy. The girl crouched over a large, ruined field that resembled what one might see on a farm, if it weren't completely destroyed. Crop stalks were ripped here and there in spots, their contents, beans and corn and other vegetables, spilled out over the muddy soil. Puddles of dark water swamped the once dry dirt.

"I swear I didn't mean to! Th-the horse…h-he just broke loose and…I-I-"

The girl was interrupted when the boy before her uttered in a very high pitched, womanistic voice, "Molly!"

"Molly!"

* * *

"Molly…"

"MOLLY!"

The girl let out a startled snort as she felt a nagging grip on her arm, which was currently shaking her from her sleep. Her chocolaty brown eyes flung open, showing them to match her messy brunette hair, and she sat straight up, only to fall backwards when a headrush fell upon her. After a few moments, she rose once more, slower, and let the person before her's outline come into focus.

A skinny, round-chested woman stood over Molly, her curled brown hair draped over one blue-colored eye as she looked down at her with a soft smile. "There you are, dear! Hurry, up! Up! Your brother is already waiting downstairs!" The woman said.

Molly gasped, jumping past the woman, out of the entangled sheets of her bed. "Oh goddess! Mom, I forgot to set my alarm, didn't I?" She gasped. She flew through her dresser's contents, which weren't much since her suitcases held most of her items, and picked out a very orange-colored outfit. She then disappeared into the bathroom down the hall.

The girl reappeared at the bottom of her stairs a fair twenty or so minutes later. Her brown hair was now pinned in places, forming it into a round shape that outlined her soft facial features. At the bottom it curled outwards. On her body, she wore a yellow undershirt, complimented by a yellow top, and a dark orange denim skirt. Over her white leggings were a pair of knee-high leather boots, fashionable, yet practical.

Molly searched the kitchen she had arrived in, and spotted the brown-haired head of her brother, who was talking to their father. "Kasey!" She screeched, and launched forward. She was met into the embrace of her brother as he pushed himself from the table at her caterwaul.

His hair was like her and her mother's, brown and long, though it was straight and thick as well, much like their father's black hair. The siblings twirled around in an excited hug while their parents looked on from the side of the room, smiling at eachother. Molly eventually pulled away from her brother and gripped his hands, jumping up and down, much like an 8-year old, despite her age, 19.

"Oh, Kasey! I'm so so sooo sorry that I woke up late! I was so excited that I could hardly fall asleep last night!" She apologized, purposefully forgetting to mention the nightmare she'd been trapped in.

Kasey grinned toothily down at Molly, ruffling her hair, to which she loudly protested with a grunt. "Don't worry sis! There's no need to hurry!" He soothed, emitting a chuckle. Kasey withdrew his hand, looking to his watch for the time. Molly nearly blurted out that they had a digital clock on the oven, since it was easier to read-at least for her-, but held herself back when Kasey spoke once more. "But…we do need to get going soon if we plan to get off the boat before dark." He murmured, tapping his watch twice before averting his gaze.

Molly bubbled with excitement once more, clapping her hands together, and nodded vigorously. With her mother, Molly disappeared upstairs to retrieve her things; two suitcases filled with outfits, a bathroom bag, and a box with several useless miscellaneous items that neither her mother nor father could convince her to leave at home. Kasey and the sibling's father helped load up the truck, and once everything was secure, Molly moved to give a large goodbye hug to her mother.

"Now dear, don't you give Kasey any trouble, you hear me? He's doing this all for you!" Molly's mother cupped her daughter's cheeks and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "And write me lots of letters! And don't forget to call! And make sure Kasey takes care of you! And…" She paused, smiling with watery eyes. "I love you both." She murmured, grabbing Kasey's wrist from where he'd been standing a couple feet away, and hugging her two children close to her chest.

"You two are growing up to fast…have a safe trip."

* * *

"Wow! Kasey! Look! Is that it?" Molly stood at the front of the boat, gripping the railing as she stared ahead, wide-eyed and mouth agape. The tap of footsteps could be heard as Kasey walked up behind his sister, along with an elderly man. Molly had come to know the man as Pascal, the captain of the ship, as well as a good friend of Kasey's.

Pascal moved to stand beside Molly, nodding to her as he tipped his hat away from his face. "Yess'm, that island there's Castanet." He murmured, his voice a scratchy, drawling tone. The island was a dark shadow, apart from the lighthouse, and Molly could only make out the shape of a tall mountain, and the light color of a sandy beach in the distance.

As they got closer, Kasey grabbed Molly's shoulders, pointing past her towards the island. "See that beach to the left?! See it?" Molly paused a moment, following his finger to see the white sand that shone brightly against the shadows that the sunset cast to the island. She nodded. "My farm's just past that!" He beamed, backing away and clapping his hands. "Oh boy! This is gonna be so exciting!" He cheered.

Pascal let out a light-hearted snort at the younger man's enthusiasm, before he lit up his pipe, one he'd been smoking earlier, when Molly boarded. The captain then turned away, heading for the doors that led to the captain's quarters. "We'll be dockin' in about 20 minutes, best get yer stuff ready." He murmured, before disappearing from sight.

Molly and Kasey disappeared as well to find Molly's things. It took them all but 15 minutes to get it all tied together, for easier transport, and they sat on the deck once more, watching the island that seemed to grow in size. Well, Molly watched it, Kasey just watched her, shaking his head in admiration for his little sister.

It wasn't long before Pascal tooted the loud horn of the boat, and a clunk could be heard, signifying they'd docked safely. Pascal emerged from his quarters, and stood near the railing, opening the gate. Two men, an older and younger, a girl, also young, and a horse stood on the dock.

The older of the two men carefully slid a plank of wood up to touch the boat, making for a not-so-safe looking walking platform. Kasey moved ahead of Molly, tugging the majority of her things, save for her box of miscellaneous items, off with him. After timidly shaking Pascal's hand in thanks for the trip, Molly shuffled off after her brother. Her movements were suddenly shy and unsure, as if everything were finally settling in. This place was so _new_! Kasey moved to stand beside his sister, grabbing the box from her hands, which also freed her to look around.

She avoided her gaze from the strangers who stood on the dock, instead observing her surroundings, which weren't much. The sky had grown dark, and all that Molly could see were what the street lanterns lit up for her. A building, whose sign read "Fishery" stood directly before the group. A metal sign hung beside it's doorway, which looked to be a fish. Molly smiled to herself, it reminded her of the creative little trinkets and signs her mother had always decorated their own home with. Before she could let her mind wander in the fond memories, Molly's thoughts were interrupted by Kasey's voice.

"C'mon sis, at least say hi." He murmured in her ear, walking up behind her and patting her shoulder.

Molly finally let her gaze travel to the three people in front of her. Her cheeks immediately lit up with embarrassment, and she waved at the strangers. "Oh, sorry. Hi…my name's Molly." She said, her voice unsure, but just as loud as it usually was.

The oldest of the trio stepped forward. He wore a large, straw sunhat, that shadowed most of his face and covered his gray-looking hair, but the friendly grin he bore was blatantly visible. He donned a vest that was covered with hooks and baits of sorts. As Molly looked closer, she noticed the man's eyes were squinted to beady slits, and he had wrinkles about his square face. "Of course we know who ya are, your brother here only brags about you all the time!" He boomed, extending his hand to Molly. "My name's Ozzy! I run the fishery with my son, Paulo, and my nephew, Toby!" Molly quickly extended her own palm, and the two met in a handshake.

Ozzy stepped back as the other man stepped forward. He resembled Ozzy quite closely, with squinted eyes and a sun hat tied around his neck, but his skin was much less wrinkled, and his face was rounded more. His hair was also a gray shade, but much lighter and fuller than Ozzy's. His left hand was entwined with the girl from before's hand. The boy reached out his free hand, smiling at Molly lazily. Molly took his hand as well, unable to hide her own smile as it replaced the timid grin she'd originally sported.

"Hi there. I'm Toby, and this is Renee!" He introduced, pulling the girl forward to stand beside him.

Renee smiled and waved shyly at Molly. "Welcome to Castanet! I work with my momma and papa at Horn Ranch! " She chimed softly with a light Southern accent. Despite her shy tone, her face was drawn up in a confident smile, and she stood straight, tilting her head to the new arrival.

Molly nodded, thankful to finally be officially welcomed. "Thank you! I hope I won't be a bother to any of you." She murmured, scratching the back of her head. "I'm very excited to be here." The three nodded to her, before Kasey finally spoke up again.

"Well, we best be off. Thanks for bringing Chalk for me, Renee." Kasey said, patting the horse that stood on the dock beside the large group. The large, white colored animal was now loaded with all of Molly's supplies, and it looked as if it were ready to move off. "Hope she wasn't any trouble?"

Renee shook her head, waving her hand. "No, no, none at all! She almost seems to listen better to me than she does you sometimes, Kasey!" She laughed, for once showing more open emotion.

Molly giggled at Renee's comment, which earned them both a harsh stare from Kasey. The two girls shared a glance of startled amusement, before smiling and laughing some more as the rest of the men stood around rolling their eyes lightheartedly. Eventually, Kasey had managed to convince Molly that it was time to head off, and the siblings, along with Renee (who apparently lived in the same direction as Kasey's farm) took their leave. After a goodbye hug and kiss between Renee and Toby. Molly soon was informed that the two were engaged.

As the trio walked, Molly and Renee chatted excitedly to eachother as if they were best friends already, while Kasey walked ahead pulling Chalk by the reigns. Renee pointed out several shops along the way. Most were covered in shadow, save for the bar which emitted loud music and a place up the hill which was apparently called the Ocarina Inn. Renee promised Molly that she would give her a tour tomorrow, which satisfied Molly.


	2. Herb Hunt

******I do not in any way shape or form claim rights to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade or its characters, or story elements! All of that is owned by Natsume and Nintendo! All I own is this story/plot!**

******Cover image was made by the wonderful plainred on deviantART!**

**Also, from this point on, I'm planning on uploading a chapter every week, so hopefully by next Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, chapter 3 will be up! I'm only uploading two chapters in one day to let y'all have a feel for what my writing's like.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Herb Hunt**

It had been three weeks since Molly moved to Castanet. Settling had most definitely been a struggle for the young girl, but with Renee and Kasey's help she'd managed to make at least a few friends, as well as land a few pass time jobs to help her brother with funds.

Presently, Molly stood in her brother's barn alongside Renee and a woman in her mid-twenties of whom Molly had come to know as Kathy. Kathy had long blond hair, tied up in a ponytail. Her outfit could just barely be deemed appropriate for such casual outings- a low v-neck tank-top that proudly pronounced the size and shape of her breasts. Her denim jacket concealed some of the scene, but what lacked in sight up top was made up for with the short skirt she wore down below. Because of Kathy's skimpy clothing, Molly had almost been turned away right away.

But Molly had found herself drawn into Kathy's surprisingly large circle of friends. Despite her appearance, Molly had learned that her assumptions about the blond were wrong. The two had quickly bonded over the same thing Molly and Renee had bonded over, which were horses.

The three girls giggled as they huddled around Molly's brother's horse, Chalk, braiding her mane carefully. The usually grumpy mare seemed to enjoy the treatment. She seemed to enjoy the three girl's presence in general. This was good, because so far Molly had proved her only talents to be horse care and various amounts of simple volunteer work around the island. She was much too clumsy to work with the other animals, or Kasey's crops.

The girls were busy at "work" when a sudden call echoed through the doors of the barn, carrying Molly's name. The brunette excused herself from her group of friends and dashed outside, only to find herself crashing face-first into her brother's chest. With a grunt, she stepped back, rubbing her forehead.

"Oops! S-sorry Kasey. What'cha need?" She chirped, tilting her head as if it added emphasis to her question. Kasey rolled his eyes at his sister, unruffling the spot in his clothing that Molly had smashed into. He quickly explained to her that the town doctor, Doctor Jin, had called for her. Molly nodded, before charging away towards the house.

Kasey's home was large with two stories, a full kitchen, three bedrooms, and a large bathroom with a bath-and-shower built in. In a way, it almost reminded Molly of home.

The girl shook away her thoughts, remembering the task at hand, and made way for the phone. She cleared her throat and attempted to compose herself before picking up the phone and addressing the man on the line.

"Err- uh…Jin?" _Smooth_.

"_Doctor_ Jin, yes. Good afternoon, Molly." The doctor greeted in his usual, uninterested monotone. Despite his rather blunt correction to Molly's mistake in addressing him, she found herself smiling, twirling the phone cord around her finger.

It was no unknown fact that Molly had a massive crush on the doctor. Even Jin himself was aware of her feelings. But Jin blatantly reflected nothing back, as it was also a known fact that the doctor was already dating someone. A farmer named Anissa. '_Besides_', he would always say when questioned, '_She's far too young_.'

"Y-yeah. Sorry, J-… Doctor Jin." She stumbled. The girl tried to stand up straighter, hiding her blush from no one in particular. "W-what did you need?"

Jin cleared his throat pointedly on the other side of the line. "Yes, about that. Molly, I've heard rumors that you're good at scavenging. Is that correct?" When he received a grunt of confirmation from Molly, he continued. "Ah, yes, good, good. My supplier, you know Anissa," Molly flinched at the brightened tone he used as he mentioned the girl's name, "her and her family are going out of town for a few days, meaning I won't be able to get my shipment of herbs for the next week." He paused for a moment to let Molly take in what he'd said, before continuing.

"I'm aware that your brother Kasey doesn't grow the plants that I need, but I do know that it's possible to find what I need in the wild." Molly smiled, holding back a squeal. Was Jin asking her for help?!

She tried to remain calm as she spoke, but her voice still came out high pitched with excitement. "Are you asking me if I can collect the herbs for you, Doctor Jin?"

An audible sigh could be heard from the other side of the line, before Jin murmured a nonchalant, "Yes." He paused a moment when a series of muffled squealing erupted on Molly's side. Luckily, this subsided quickly. Jin proceeded to list off what he needed, and wasted no time in hanging up when he'd finished answering Molly's questions.

Molly burst from the house, prancing around like a child who'd just met Santa Clause. Kathy and Renee stood outside now, and watched her with mild interest as Molly danced towards them. It didn't take long for Molly to explain in extreme and exaggerated detail what had happened. The two friends just rolled their eyes at eachother, but their faces held amused smiles.

After a short chat, Molly's friends departed, leaving Molly to start her search for herbs.

Molly managed to start off well just by patrolling the edge of Kasey's farm. She found 2 patches of what she assumed to be what Jin had called "Green Herbs". They didn't seem to be quite grown well, but she remembered Jin mentioning they wouldn't be, and that that was fine. It was only Spring, and Summer herbs, especially in the wild, would be hard to come by and be fully grown for harvest.

The brunette decided to deem herself lucky she'd found so much, and she quickly gathered small handfuls of the newly-sprouted herbs up and placed them carefully into her rucksack. She took a breath of the fresh air triumphantly, before setting off in search of more herbs in other areas.

* * *

Molly had been searching for hours with little to no luck after what she'd found on her brother's farm. But she wasn't giving up. Before the girl stood a tall forest, one that resembled that of a story book tale's setting. She remembered Kasey telling her of this area once.

He'd had to travel all over Castanet, just to find the key that unlocked the darned place! Molly giggled at the thought. Kasey had since had the door demolished, deciding it was unnecessary. The forest paths had been hacked clean in a joint effort between Kasey and a now mutual friend of the siblings, a man named Luke. Fugue Forest was safe for just about anyone.

Anyone who wasn't Molly, it seemed.

Molly confidently strolled into the forest and began her search. The sky was becoming dark, but Molly took little notice, too involved in her task to care for the sky as it changed from day to night quickly.

The brunette managed to find several more of the needed herbs as she searched the forest, including a peculiar sparkling mushroom. Jin hadn't requested this particular fungus, but Molly had found herself captivated by its shine, and had pocketed it, praying to the Harvest Goddess that it would earn her a brownie point from Jin.

When Molly finally came to the realization that it was night time, she suddenly realized how tired she was. She sighed, ruffling around in her rucksack for something that would boost her energy for the return trip. It was then that she pulled out the sparkling mushroom.

Without much thought, she snapped the stem in half, and popped it into her mouth. Anything that grew among herbs had to be safe enough to eat, right?

_**Wrong**_.

Molly stumbled in her tracks as the world around her began to spin, and she collapsed to the ground. "Goddess, help me!" She choked, trying to force up the herb as it tormented her. But she was unable to do much before she passed out.

* * *

**Stranger's P.O.V.**

_Tp._

_ Tp._

_ Tp._

Gravel was crushed against black leather boots as a man made his way through the night-veiled forest area. He donned a silky purple cloak on top of his black turtleneck, cotton sweater. A rather intricate and complicated array of beaded necklaces hung around his neck. His pants were white and baggy.

His most peculiar feature were his eyes, two different colors – green and gold – two colors that contrasted greatly with the white mark below his golden eye, and his head of platinum-gray hair. Despite his silver locks, which were tied into a neat braid on the left side of his face, the man looked no older than twenty-five.

He walked with confident steps through the forest. He seemed to know the area very well.

But he stopped dead when he spotted a shadow splayed out on the forest floor several feet away. He hesitated a moment, blinking at the shape to assure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. They most certainly weren't.

Slightly less comfortable now, the man moved timidly towards the body. It was a girl. He wore a ruffled orange outfit, and her brown hair was messy and ruffled from what looked to be a hard day's work. The man squatted down, nudging her hand. Her hand fell open, suddenly, and a mushroom rolled from her palm.

"A…fugue mushroom?" The man questioned, reaching out to grab the sparkling thing. "There's a…bite…Oh!" The man looked to the girl once more. Had she swallowed some of the plant? He sighed, and scooped her up carefully. He would take her to the clinic. Hopefully it was open this late at night. Luckily, as he'd studied the species of fungus for a long time, he knew that the fugue mushroom was no life-threatening danger.

But he was aware that it often caused dizzy spells, nausea, and hallucinations. Or in this stranger's case, it was too overwhelming, and made them pass out.

The man quietly made his way towards Harmonica Town. But as he crossed the farm territory, owned by an acquaintance of his, Kasey, he heard a shout come from up the path.

"Yo! Wizard! Wait up!" The voice unmistakably belonged to Kasey the farmer himself. The man, deemed Wizard, turned on his heels to face the farmer, and was met with a loud gasp. "Ah! Molly? What happened?!" He shouted, springing forward to look down at his unconscious sister in the cloaked man's arms.

"She ate…a fugue mushroom…in Fugue Forest…" He murmured in an almost broken sounding sentence. "You…know her?"

Kasey nodded at the gray-haired man, reaching forward to take his sister from the man's arms. "Yeah. She's my sister. Err…the clinic's closed, Wizard. Do…do you know how to fix her?"

Wizard stared down at Kasey and this newly named Molly for a few moments, before nodding uncertainly. "I do…We can…go inside?" He murmured, hesitantly.

Kasey nodded, and led the way to his home, Wizard trailing behind.

* * *

**Molly's P.O.V**

Molly blinked awake to the sound of a voice- no, two voices. One, the softer of the two, was being blocked out by the booming, familiar voice of Kasey.

"Yeah, thanks, man! We owe ya one." He was saying. Molly blinked her eyes open just in time to spot the retreating figure of a gray haired person she'd never seen exit through the front door. _Who_?

"Molly, you're awake! Goddess, do you know how worried I was? You're damn lucky this fella came along when he did!" Kasey scolded his sister, flicking her nose in a loving-yet-stern manner.

"Who…Who's…that?" Molly asked, rubbing her nose as she moved to sit up. She immediately flopped back to her previous position. "What happened? Why's my head feel so funny?" She asked, her words began to slur together, and before Kasey could answer her questions, Molly had fallen asleep once more.

Whatever treatment the stranger had given her, it was working to at least keep the girl under control.


	3. Who?

******I do not in any way shape or form claim rights to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade or its characters, or story elements! All of that is owned by Natsume and Nintendo! All I own is this story/plot!**

**Preview art is by plainred on deviantart.**

**Sorry for the delay everybody! I was planning on updating at the beginning of the week, but I got swept up in finals and couldn't even finish typing up this chapter. But, don't worry! I've already got chapter 4 typed up, now. And I'll have plenty of time to go even further since it's Fall Break for me. So hopefully I'll make schedule for a couple weeks!**

**Also, I apologize for any spelling/grammar errors. I tried to do the best editing to my abilities. My editor is having a lot of school work, so I'm kind of just on my own until she has a free weekend to go over it, hah.**

**Anyways, hope you all enjoy! We'll have a couple Molly/Wizard moments in the next chapter(s)! So look forward to that!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Who?**

Bright afternoon sunlight trickled in through the open curtains, slowly dragging a drowsy Molly from her slumber. The brunette sat up, stretching luxuriously, and crawled from the mound of sheets and pillows. Her eyes scanned the room as she slumped off the mattress and onto the carpet floor with a thump. Her room…how had she gotten here? Last she remembered…

The person with the gray hair. Who had that been? As memory returned to Molly, she began to recall her "herb hunt". She made a mental note never to eat a strange plant again, no matter how colorful and shiny it was. What she'd done the night prior had been a stupid idea, no matter how she looked at it.

Suddenly, Molly was on her feet. "The herbs!" She gasped. She zoomed around the room, frantically throwing things about in search of her rucksack. The bag proved to be completely absent from her room.

The girl let out a frustrated caterwaul. "Kasey!"

No reply.

"Kasey! Come up here! Where's my rucksack?!"

Still no reply.

Molly huffed and flipped open the door to her room. "Kasey!" She called again. She quickly descended down the stairs. Her brother was most likely outside working on the fields, but in her frantic scramble to impress Jin, Molly hadn't even considered the fact.

"Kasey! Where-?"

Immediately, Molly's yelling ceased. On the kitchen counter sat her bag, tipped over with herbs spilling out. A small mess, but it was there nonetheless. Her anger was quickly replaced with a giddy sense of joy. She stumbled forward, reaching out to gather up her things.

Then she was out the door and down the dirt road, excitement tingling in her and giving her a boost of energy. It didn't take Molly long before she had reached the brick-patched sidewalk of Harmonica Town. She wobbled up the slope towards Choral Clinic, red in the face and heaving for air. She entered the building hastily and accidentally ended up slamming the door behind her. She turned in time to see Jin raise his head from his paperwork to look at the pink-flushed girl.

"Molly! Goddess, are you alright?!" He gasped, jumping from his chair in the side room to examine his new _patient_.

Molly let out a strangled giggle, attempting to catch her breath. She tried to smile at the doctor as she finally was able to form words. "Oh J-…D-doctor Jin! I'm fine." She murmured, her red cheeks flushing darker. "I just went for- ah… Uh-uhm…a jog!" The girl fumbled with the straps of her rucksack until she could manage to pull it off and drop it clumsily on the front desk that she leaned against.

Avoiding the doctor's worried gaze, Molly turned to look across the front counter to meet eyes with Jin's grandmother, the elderly nurse maid Irene. The woman nodded politely, and Molly shyly returned her a smile as she dug through her rucksack for her collection of herbs.

She dumped the heart-shaped plants out in an unorganized pile, and the mushroom from the night before plopped out as she finished emptying her bag. Jin's expression turned from worried to quizzical as it landed on the mushroom.

"Molly…" He murmured, ignoring the other herbs and reaching out to grab the sparkling fungus. "Did you…find it like this?" He questioned, running his fingers over the bite marks made in its stem. He flicked his eyes to Molly curiously. The brunette was starring at her feet, shuffling them guiltily. She didn't answer, which gave Jin the cue to continue. The older man sighed, rubbing his temple in an almost exhausted fashion.

"Molly… You realize how dangerous tasting strange plants is? Haven't Irene and I gone over this with you before?" He paused, and reached for Molly's face, turning it up by the chin. The girl tensed immediately, turning almost purple from her blush, and bit her lip nervously. Was he going to kiss her? Suddenly, her head was pushed sideways, down, up, and all around.

Oh.

This wasn't a kiss.

This was a health inspection.

"Still…you don't look sick at all. (Aside from that red face of yours…) What happened, if I may ask?" He questioned, almost sounding dumbfounded, if not also bemused by the situation.

Molly hesitated before replying, attempting to regain her composure. "I-I don't remember. I passed out in Fugue Forest… And then I woke up for a few moments- I was in Kasey's bed I think. There was this…weird, gray-haired person leaving…" She looked up, shrugging. "Then I passed out again."

"Gray hair?" Jin questioned, settling into a thoughtful expression. He leaned against the counter, drumming his fingertips against the marble. "Not Irene, correct? Grandmother, you would have told me if such a thing happened, wouldn't you?"

Irene scowled slightly at the gray hair remark, but shook it away quickly, and finally spoke up. "Of course I would have, Jin." She murmured. She turned to Molly, meeting the young girl's gaze. "Perhaps it was young Toby? He may have been out fishing in the swamp." She suggested.

"Goddess knows what he would have caught out there." Jin scoffed, shaking his head. "No, it was more likely one of those- ehm…for lack of better words…oddities." He turned away, adjusting his glasses awkwardly.

Irene scolded her grandson shortly for his use of words, then turned to Molly- who stood staring at the bickering family members blankly. "They have…names, Jin." She sighed. "Wizard and Witch Princess are what they go by, Molly. They are a bit…outlandish, like Doctor Jin inferred. But I suppose they're not so much to the point that they wouldn't help a girl like yourself if she should need it."

Jin addressed Molly again, recovering from the scolding he'd received. "Anyway, Molly. I assume your brother, Kasey, knows who it was. Why not ask him?" He held out the spotted fungus to Molly, and she slowly took it. "I have no need for this. So long as you don't eat it again, feel free to keep it."

Molly nodded, smiling. To her surprise, her smile was returned. "And thank you for delivering the herbs. You've been a great help."

* * *

"No! Julius, get off!" A squeal of annoyance mingled with excitement pierced the air. Molly was being pinned to the wall of a very red-and-salmon-color-themed room by a tall, royally dressed man. Julius, the man, groaned, swiping his purple-and-multicolored bangs from his face, and took a step back. "Molly, darling! You said you wanted a make-over!" The man scolded, pointing an accusing finger at Molly while placing his other hand, which was holding a pencil eye-liner, on his hip. "Did she not say that, Candace?"

A young blue-haired girl, also dressed in blue, sat on the large mattress at the center of the room with her legs crossed. She hesitated, before shyly nodding. "U-uhm…yes. Molly, you did ask for it…" She murmured softly.

Molly let out a loud 'hmph', and crossed her arms. "I did ask for it! But I didn't ask you to poke my fucking eye out!" She snapped, glaring down the couple that stood before her.

The girl dodged away from Julius's hand as he reached out to grab her face again. She slipped up onto the bed to sit beside Candace, pulling her knees to her chest. "Nevermind, I don't need that stuff. All I wanted was a touch-up anyways." Molly claimed, sticking her nose in the air stubbornly.

The blue-haired girl giggled beside her and quietly spoke again. "But Molly…you can't say no with half your face undone…"

Julius took a step towards the bed, grinning at Molly. "Precisely what my dear Candace says! Molly, darling. It is positively unacceptable to go out into public with, well…" The man held out a hand, gesturing to Molly's right eye. "…that." He chuckled, sitting down on the bed carefully, so as not to wrinkle his sheets. As if Molly hadn't done that already.

"Now, come here, Molly. I promise I'll be more careful." He cooed, patting his hand against the sheets in front of him. Molly reluctantly agreed, allowing Julius to continue his careful skin-color-lining.

As Julius proceeded, Candace spoke up. "So…Molly. I heard Doctor Jin had you running some errands for him yesterday…" She commented, slowly. As Molly opened her mouth, presumably to question how the blue-head knew, Candace continued. "Kathy came in yesterday afternoon and told me."

Julius let out a loud sound of amusement. "Oh, Molly! Are you at the boy snatching game again? Hasn't Anissa dealt with you enough, trying to steal her man?" He mock-scolded.

Molly scowled at her friend, sticking out her tongue- though he couldn't see it as he was focused on her eye. "Shut it, Julius! It wasn't like I _asked_ for the job! He called me and told me Anissa was out of town and couldn't get him the herbs he needed!" She informed the couple. "And since I'm a caring, loving citizen here on Castanet Island, I decided to help him out." She sighed, quietly. "Of course, I went and messed it up. I got a big scolding from him when I went to deliver the herbs this morning."

When all she received was a grunt of, what seemed to be, interest from the couple in the room, she went on. "I…I sort of took a huge bite out of some sparkly mushroom." Julius snorted mockingly, and Molly yanked away from his hand. "I thought it was an herb, and I was tired!" She defended herself. As she settled back into his handling again, she continued her story and was met with a comfortable silence as the two listened.

Molly finished her story as Julius pulled away from her face. "There, all done, doll." He murmured, appreciating his work. "Anyhow, it sounds as if you had quite the adventure last night, hmm?" He grinned devilishly, and Molly rolled her eyes, shoving his arm.

"Oh shut up." She muttered, though there was a small smile on her face.

Julius rolled his eyes. "You're just lucky it wasn't me who found you out there! It's one thing to owe some stranger a favor. It's another to owe your best friend a favor." He chuckled. Suddenly, he stood, clapping his hands together. "Anywho! You say Jin suggested it was one of those oddball characters, right? The fortune teller, and the swamp dweller?" He asked.

When Molly nodded, frowning slightly at his names, Julius continued. "Well, from what I've heard, those two like collecting those mushrooms- ones like the thing you found. I remember Kasey once told me he found them bickering over one!"

Candace nodded. "I've heard that, too. I think…they're called fugue mushrooms." She murmured, tugging at a loose strand of her hair.

Molly jumped up, nearly knocking into Julius. "Oh! Then maybe I can give whoever helped me that mushroom! What better way to thank someone than with their favorite gift?"


	4. That Mushroom Girl

**I do not in any way shape or form claim rights to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade or its characters, or story elements! All of that is owned by Natsume and Nintendo! All I own is this story/plot!**

**Preview art is by plainred on deviantart.**

**Again, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. My editor's still on hiatus.**

**I think I may just start updating these a bit irregularly- I'm to impatient to make it sit until next Monday. Besides, I'm sure my readers might enjoy frequent updates in case I die off again for school and whatnot.**

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**Chapter 4**

**That Mushroom Girl**

**Molly's P.O.V.**

"OKAY! Molly just **wait** a second!"

Molly stood at the bottom of a ladder, staring up at her brother, whose head was emerged in tree branches. She sighed heavily, leaning against the ladder and drumming her fingers impatiently. After what seemed like hours, but was only a mere few minutes, Kasey scaled backwards down the ladder, carefully toting a basket of cherries with him.

The fruit wasn't exactly in season, but Kasey always managed to find a few that grew early when late Spring rolled around.

"Now, what was it you wanted, Molly?" Kasey asked, turning to look down at his sister as he stepped off of the ladder. Molly stepped forward, swiping a cherry from his basket and popping it into her mouth. Kasey rolled his eyes, and motioned at her to start talking.

"Kasey," Molly started, finishing off the cherry quickly. "About last night…" She continued. The siblings started heading towards the ranch house, and Molly waited to continue until they got inside. "Who was that person? I was talking to J- uhm…to Doctor Jin and Irene today and they suggested that it may have been these people…ah, what were their names?"

Kasey opened his mouth to reply, but Molly clapped her hands and continued. "Oh, right! They said it could have been either Witch Princess, or some guy-"

"It was Wizard." Kasey quickly commented. "Wizard brought you home. Witch Princess had nothing to do with it." The boy then quickly turned away from his sister and busied himself with his crops that were set out on his counter, organizing them into shipping groups.

Molly scratched her head confusedly and made to walk away. Her brother seemed suddenly not in the mood to talk at all. Had it been the fact that she'd brought up the Witch Princess? But she froze as her brother spoke up once more, talking normally again. "Ya know, he went out of his way to bring you home. You should thank him properly." He suggested, turning to look his sister in the eyes.

Molly nodded slowly. "I-I guess I could…you mean, like, bring him a present?" She asked, remembering her conversation earlier with Julius and Candace. Surely they hadn't lied? No, Candace would never lie. A fugue mushroom…yes, that could make the perfect thank you gift!

Oh, but how would she thank him? Just knock on his door and say '_thanks for taking me home?_' That would be embarrassing. It was already so- the fact that some stranger had found her passed out on the ground from eating a _mushroom_. The girl again slapped herself mentally. What an idiotic idea.

Molly hadn't realized she'd been drifting in her thoughts until she looked up to see her brother standing right in front of her. "Earth to Molly, hello?" Kasey was waving his hand in front of her face. When he noticed he had finally been acknowledged, he rolled his eyes and spoke again. "Gee, Molls, you sure do like to ignore me, don'cha?" He teased.

Before Molly could reply with whatever snarky comment had jumped to her open mouth, Kasey continued. "Anyways, you know that house up, behind the clinic? That's where Wizard usually is this time of day."

Molly blinked. "You mean I should go now?" She asked, frowning. That gave her no time at all to prepare a disembarrassment speech!

"Why not? It's not like you're doing anything, right?" Kasey teased, smirking at his sister.

Molly reluctantly shook her head, and was soon ushered out the door. Like many times before, she walked the path towards Harmonica Town, and followed the blunt directions her brother had given her.

Early evening had set in by the time she reached the house, and the first stars of twilight were beginning to sparkle in the sky. Molly stood before a large, green-roofed white building. Just looking at it, it looked almost spooky and hollow. Out of the roof, a large telescope was peeking out, directed towards the stars. The brunette took a deep breath, before knocking carefully on the blue-wooded door.

No answer.

She knocked again, and after several minutes she, again, was met with no answer.

She knocked and waited again, but still nothing happened.

With a half relieved, half annoyed sigh, Molly turned to leave. But then, she was struck with an idea. Maybe this was the Harvest Goddess saving her! She could just leave a note here, and tell her brother she had thanked him!

Molly quickly pulled out a slip of paper from her rucksack, and began to scribble words on it. When she had finished she carefully set it, weighted down by the fugue mushroom, down on the doormat, and skipped away down the path towards her home.

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**Wizard's P.O.V.**

It wasn't that Wizard had meant to ignore whoever had been knocking on his door. He had heard the pacing outside, and the scrabbling of knuckles to wood. But he had been too distracted by the sight of the stars in the sky to care much for whoever it had been. It seemed that his skyward observations would never and could never end – there was always so much to see!

But as the man noticed the darkening room, he realized twilight had passed, and night had settled in on Castanet.

And so, tying on his pointed boots, the fortune teller descended down the stairs from his telescope gazing ledge, and flipped open his front door to leave. The unknown person from before was gone now it seemed, but the purple-clad man froze as he spotted a sparkling item on the mat before his doorway.

He slowly bent down, picking up the item, and the note tied to it. His bi-colored eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight. It was a fugue mushroom! His favorite item! He turned it over, surveying it, and his eyes landed on a very neatly-made cut in the stem. Why would someone cut such an item if it were already so easy to remove from the ground?

He shrugged the thought away, and pocketed the mushroom and note, deciding to look at it later, once his star-gazing needs had been attended to. Without any other distractions, the gray-haired male made his way towards the Church Building.

As he arrived towards the large clearing, he found his way towards a bench, and sat down. His gaze turned skyward, and for several minutes he sat admiring the sparkling Summer sky. He slowly adjusted his position, and heard a light thump next to the bench.

Looking down, he found the sparkling mushroom from before- and remembered the unread note still in his pocket. After retrieving the mushroom from the ground and setting it on the wooden seat beside him, he dug in his pocket, fishing for the note he'd been left.

_Oh boy, I hope you get this. I was hoping to talk to you in person, but I guess you weren't in at the time!_

_Anyway, my name is Molly- you may know me as the girl who ate a fugue mushroom and passed out in the forest…_

_Kasey, he's my brother if you didn't know…you probably did... Well, anyway, Kasey told me I should thank you for bringing me home and making me feel better. Doctor Jin gave me this mushroom back and my best pal Julius told me today that you like fugue mushrooms! So…I don't know, I guess you can have it as a gift of my…gratitude?_

_So anyhow, thank you for saving me, Wizard! Hope we can meet next time on better…and also not so unconscious circumstances!_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Molly_

When Wizard had finished reading through the note, he tucked it away in his robe carefully before picking up the mushroom he'd received with it. The "gift" he'd received.

"So, it was that…mushroom girl…" Wizard murmured to himself, rolling the fungus over with his fingers. A small smile crept across his face. He didn't have any friends in this town. It was certainly rare that he ever received a gift that wasn't from Mayor Hamilton or the friendly owners of the Ocarina Inn out of sympathy on holidays. To be honest, the Wizard was surprised anyone even knew his interests, he wasn't close to anybody on the island apart from the Harvest Goddess and the Witch Princess- and even they rarely talked to him unless he took time out of his own day to go see him.

Which wasn't necessarily an ideal pass time.

Wizard shook his head, his smile disappearing to be replaced with a look of complete indifference. He sat quietly once more, still turning the fugue mushroom over in his hands as he looked at the stars until he heard a bell resonating from inside the church.

Was it that late already? The gray haired man sighed as a 12th ring made its impact on the quiet clearing before he stood and made his way back down to his own home.

Despite it being dark in the small pathway that led back towards the main town, Wizard was relaxed and comfortable. He had memorized this route by heart because of his frequent stargazing trips. In fact, once could most certainly say he was more comfortable slinking through the shadows of the night than the bright light of day time. At night, no one could see him, and no one could send him looks of curiosity or sympathy or blatant judgment- or any other opinionated gazed people shot at him.

It wasn't that the looks particularly bothered Wizard. He knew he was different from the others. He made it apparent. It was just that he simply didn't care much for attention. It made him uncomfortable, because he felt like he was supposed to offer the attention back. And Wizard was most definitely not a social butterfly like most of the townsfolk on Castanet. In fact, he was so unpracticed in the art of socializing that he'd nearly forgotten how to talk before Kasey had come to the town five years prior.

Even then, Kasey only came to him asking advice for the Harvest Goddess and Harvest King's rejuvenation. And now that the island and its guardians had been restored, Wizard barely saw hide nor hair of the popular farmer.

Wizard jolted out of his thoughts when he realized he'd reached his door. He reached out, turning the knob, and walked right in. He never locked his home, or when he did, it was because he was going to be out for several days. No one ever really dropped in to say hi, and he had few things that would be of value to others.

But today, as Wizard stepped into his home, he felt his heart lurch. His gaze landed on his crystal ball podium- which was unmistakably _lacking_ a crystal ball. His crystal ball; his most prized possession, aside from his telescope.

He quickly shut his door behind him and moved towards the table. He looked over and under the table.

It wasn't there.

He quickly proceeded to search his room- but to no avail. With a heavy, defeated sigh, the man collapsed to his bed, placing his head in his hands. That was when- as he lifted his gaze once more to survey the room- he spotted a note, scrawled neatly on a piece of parchment, hanging on his door. That hadn't been there before.

The Wizard was up in seconds, reading the note.

_Hi Wizzy-poo! Guess who?_

_I suppose by now you've noticed your magic little orb's gone missing, huh? Don't worry! It's in good hands- my hands!_

_Or- are they good? I wouldn't know, witches aren't necessarily referred to as good monsters, now are they? I suppose you can pray to your little Harvest Goddess that I don't get into any trouble, hmm?_

_I was hoping you'd be around to help me with my little dilemma, but I guess I just missed you, teehee! So I took matters into my own hands and borrowed your crystal ball for a bit._

_If you reaaaaally want it back, you'll have to come get it yourself- you know how tiring a trip it is through town. And lugging this baby twice through a trip? No. Thank. You!_

_I have a feeling I'll see you soon, Wizzy!_

_Love (but not really!),_

_Witch Princess ~ V._

Wizard stared at the letter, before sighing tiredly. Of course- Witch Princess had no respect for his things. Of all people, it was her. Hopfully she wouldn't hurt his precious object before tomorrow came. With that thought on his mind, Wizard retired to his bed and went to sleep.

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**I know, I know. I promised some Molly/Wizard action this chapter. But I hit my 2,000 word goal really quickly, and I don't like going to far over that. I promise, next chapter WILL have them in it! **

**Like I said, I like establishing plot and whatnot instead of sudden romance! Isn't it more fun that way anyways?**


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